Friday, December 9, 2016

Be The Ripple

“You cannot get through a single day
without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a
difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
~~Jane Goodall

For
all of you who are wondering what you can do to make the world better or to
make yourself feel better or just focus on anything besides all the crazy stuff
happening in the world, I give you Jenna. Like 99,166 others in the US today, Jenna needs a
kidney. But this isn't just about a 31 year-old artist and writer who
desperately needs an organ, it's about all the people whose lives will be
changed as a result of her receiving a kidney. Her mom Karol, for one, who has
been a fierce warrior championing on behalf of her daughter while at the same
time celebrating all those who get what she still doesn't have: a healthier
daughter.

A rare urological defect destroyed Jenna's kidneys when she was young. Finding
a match for Jenna is especially difficult because she has high antibodies.
Because of this, it is necessary to find a pool of eligible living donors to
increase the odds of finding a match. Jenna has blood type O, but even if
a willing donor does not match her, she can still receive a kidney through
paired donation, which is a “swap” between two incompatible couples. By
donating a kidney to another patient on Jenna’s behalf, that donor
allows Jenna in turn to receive the other patient’s donor’s kidney. Although Jenna lives in California, her donor can
live in any state, and all donor medical costs are covered by her insurance.

When we help someone we often
think in terms of our actions as being limited to what we can see in front of
us, but what we give to one person, we give to the world. Each kidney
recipient—not to mention their extended families and coworkers and friends—are
affected by their loved one receiving a kidney. By helping one person, you help
the collective. Each of our deeds, good or bad, creates a ripple. Beyond
one’s belief in a higher power, all we have to sustain our hope is the grace of
our fellow human beings to help us through our struggles. I don't have any
more spare kidneys to give away, but I plan to keep throwing stones into the
pool until that waiting list is at zero.

For
more information about being tested to see if you are a match for Jenna, please
visit the UCLA Living Donor Intake page. You can learn
more about Jenna by clicking on her video, "Are You My Type?"
or follow her journey by going to her
Facebook page. In addition, if you would like to contact Jenna
personally, you may send her an email. And you can SHARE this post because
somebody out there is a match for Jenna.